The Big West farewell tour isn't selling out stadiums, but the conference's final year should be a killer show.

As the conference breaks up after 32 years, this should be a crazy season. Year after year, the favorites seem to fade and a team that isn't supposed to win the conference ends up in the Humanitarian Bowl. Boise State, who has the best QB never seen on network TV in Bart Henricks, seems like the easy choice this season, but the wild, wild West is never a sure thing.

Arkansas State Indians
1999 record: 4-7
Coach: Joe Hollis
Returning starters: 13 (7 offense, 6 defense)

Outlook: Offensively, the Indians will compete with anyone in the conference. Unfortunately, the defense won't be able to do the same. Senior QB Cleo Lemon already owns school records for career passing yards and TDs and could really pad those stats in Hollis' wide-open offense. He's occasionally inconsistent, but when he's on, Lemon is fun to watch. Among the receivers looking to shine in the new system is Robert Kilow, who is not the fastest guy, but he makes plays. Junior RB Jonathon Adams rushed for nearly 700 yards and leaves the spring as the starter, but junior college transfer Danny Smith had a great spring and has coaches rethinking the No. 1 slot. The offensive line is big, as in hide the all-you-can-eat buffet signs. All five starters weigh over 300 pounds, and sophomore Garry Johnson has NFL talent.

	Season Openers
	Team	Date	Opponent
	Arkansas State	9/2	at N.C. State
	Boise State	9/2	at New Mexico
	Idaho	9/2	at Washington
	New Mexico St.	9/2	at S. Carolina
	North Texas	8/31	at Baylor
	Utah State	9/2	at Texas Tech

Defensively, the front seven is in shambles. Defensive lineman Brian Rucker showed flashes of being the playmaker they need on the line this spring, but no one else really stepped up. Senior OLB Segun Ajigbeda is the lone returning linebacker and will need to be a mentor to young LBs Leonard Johnson, Joe Jones, John Shivers and L.P. Smith. The future is in good hands with those four, but that doesn't help much this season. The secondary returns all four starters, but that's not dance-around good news. The secondary was a weak spot, and while the moves of Kevin Woods from receiver to cornerback and Kishan Cotton from linebacker to safety help, this is a group that needs to play better.

Question mark: Can the Indians stay healthy? Lack of depth is an issue at most every position. If the offensive line or Lemon gets hurt, the Indians could be in big trouble.

Keep an eye on: RB Danny Smith. Coaches were wondering if Smith was the real deal in the spring, and he showed a good blend of speed and power. Hollis likes to shuffle two backs in and out, but don't be surprised if Smith makes Hollis rethink his strategy.

Boise State Broncos
1999 record: 10-3
Coach: Dirk Koetter
Returning starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 defense)

Outlook: One of the best quarterbacks you've never seen plays for the Broncos. Bart Hendricks, already the conference's best offensive player, did the "Six-Million Dollar Man" bit this spring (bigger, faster, stronger) and will not be a secret this season. Hendricks leads an attack that is the best in the Big West. He has eight receivers with experience, highlighted by junior Jeb Putzier, who is 6-5 and runs a 4.5 40-yard dash. Running backs Davy Malaythong and Brock Forsey, who are neck in neck for the starting job, give the Broncos a good rushing attack and the line, while smaller, is athletic enough and showed this spring they work well together to keep this offense clicking.

Defensively, the line is strong up the middle, but the ends struggled this spring and remain a concern. Seniors Shawn Sandoval and Kareen Williams provide a nice nucleus at linebacker and the secondary is the strength of the defense. Senior CB Dempsy Dees is one of the top cover guys in the country and BSU features six guys with experience ready to play safety.

Question mark: Who will start at RB? Malaythong leaves spring the No. 1 back, but that's marked in pencil. Forsey had a great spring, and this battle will resume in the fall.

Keep an eye on: QB Bart Hendricks. He will sneak on a few Heisman Trophy ballots before it's all over.

Idaho Vandals
1999 record: 7-4
Coach: Tom Cable
Returning starters: 17 (9 offense, 8 defense)

Outlook: Cable returns to his alma mater and brings a new offense with him. Gone is the pass-first philosophy. The new offense features more conventional two-back sets, but it's an offense the team has seemingly embraced. Junior QB John Welsh is fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered last season and was moving the offense with ease this spring. Senior RB Anthony Tenner and Willie Anderson split carries and redshirt freshman Zach Gerstner was impressive enough to warrant some attention. The receivers have plenty of experience and Rossi Martin has the speed to be Welsh's main deep threat. The offensive line, already a concern, is dangerously thin with the loss of Kyle Stewart to a season-ending knee injury this spring. There's some talent here, but even a minor injury could really hurt the Vandals.

Defensively, Cable and his staff have installed an attacking style. The line is young, and it's a certainty that opposing teams will test them with running plays between the tackles. The good news is the linebackers will be able to bail out the line, should it need the help. Big West Defensive Player of the Year Chris Nofoaiga returns to anchor a unit that could be the best in the conference. The secondary was a concern heading into the spring, but it emerged as an area of depth by the end of the workouts. They'll have to be strong as this is a defense that will leave the cornerbacks one-on-one, so they better be up to the challenge.

Question mark: How will injuries affect the Vandals? They had 24 players miss time during the spring, including nine who never stepped on the field. Idaho needs depth, so those players will be welcomed back in the fall.

Keep an eye on: QB John Welsh. The junior looks like he did his freshman year when he led the Vandals to a Humanitarian Bowl win. He's picked up the new offense and has the players around him to make it run.

New Mexico State Aggies
1999 record: 6-5
Coach: Tony Samuel
Returning starters: 12 (6 offense, 6 defense)

Outlook: The Aggies came out of spring feeling good about their chances of notching the first back-to-back winning seasons since 1966-67. Junior quarterback K.C. Enzminger leads the offense. He is a hard-nosed player who isn't afraid of taking the big hit, and in the power-I attack the Aggies use, that's a nice luxury. Running backs Chris Barnes and Kenton Hill combined for almost 1,000 yards last season, but don't always run hard. The offensive line returns just two starters, and while Samuel is high on the newcomers, it will be a very inexperienced bunch. The receivers would be an area of concern if New Mexico State actually threw the ball, but pass patterns are buried on page 743 of the playbook.

Defensively this is a much better group than expected. The line received a huge boost with the spring play of junior college transfer Jamar Cain. The linebackers are solid, but the surprise group is the secondary. What was a major worry has turned into a major strength thanks to CB Robbie Canidate. He was awesome this spring and looks like the big play guy this defense needs.

Question mark: Are Barnes and Keith the difference makers this offense needs? They are talented, but they have been hesitant and inconsistent in the past. The Aggies need strong efforts from both of them.

Keep an eye on: CB Robbie Canidate. He is the brother of former Arizona star RB Trung Canidate and will be an all-conference player before long.

North Texas Eagles
1999 record: 2-9
Coach: Darrell Dickey
Starters returning: 9 (6 offense, 3 defense)

Outlook: This is an uphill battle, but at least the Eagles are in better condition to try it. The offense was gruesome last season. The defense wasn't much better, and this spring, Dickey had simple goals of improving both the offensive and defensive lines. Well, they're trying. The offensive line returns three starters, but that's all they return. No backups. So the Eagles will rely on unproven players, and that is not a good thing. Junior QB Richard Bridges is the starting QB, but Spencer Stack had a good spring and will be in the lineup should Bridges struggle. Running back Ja'Quay Wilburn will carry the load, but he better be durable with the young line. The Eagles will try to pass more and receivers La Darrin McLane and Byron Curtis had good springs to give Dickey hope.

Defensively, the line is inexperienced, but will get some help from the linebackers and secondary. Brad Kassell made the move from outside to middle linebacker with ease this spring, and the secondary is a rare place of strength. Heath Moody and freshman Craig Jones give the Eagles a solid pair at safety.

Question mark: Will Wilburn survive the season? Wilburn is the lone weapon on this offense and with such a young and inexperienced group of linemen, his health is in serious jeopardy.

Keep an eye on: LB Brad Kassell. Last season, he led the team in tackles and looked better this spring. He could be an all-conference player.

Utah State Aggies
1999 record: 4-7
Coach: Mike Dennehy
Returning starters: 15 (8 offense, 7 defense)

Outlook: Dennehy comes over from Montana and is bringing some new ideas with him. Hey, it can't hurt. Utah State won't be an offensive powerhouse, but they probably won't give up a lot of points either. Dennehy hopes his wide-open offensive style will improve the passing game, but returning starter Jeff Crosbie didn't impress the first year coach, opening the door for improved Jose Fuentes. Running back Demario Brown rushed for over 1,500 yards last season, clearing the way for Emmett White to move to receiver. The offensive line, however, is very young and inexperienced.

Defensively, the line is young, but had a great spring playing together and could be better than expected. Two-time all-conference OLB Brent Passey leads a very good linebacker group, and the secondary is very athletic.

Question mark: Who will be the QB? Crosbie seemed like the guy, but then Fuentes had a good spring and made Dennehy rethink the position. The Aggies need to pass the ball to be an effective offense, so this battle could be the key to the season.

Keep an eye on: RB Emmett White. Dennehy will make sure his best athlete gets the ball often, whether it's as a running back, receiver or kick returner.

Joe Wojciechowski is the college football editor for ESPN.com